Moulin Peache
by rockpaperscizzorz
Summary: This is The Peach Creek version of the motion picture, Moulin Rouge! Double D is a rogue sensitive writer who gets involved with a burlesque cabaret, falling in love with its star. YAOI ALERT! SLASHY! Ed/Double D RolfxEd ?
1. He Fell through My Roof!

The Moulin Peache

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**A/N After seeing the motion picture, Moulin Rouge, Double D has a very odd dream, in which his friends of the Cul-De-Sac are all the characters in the movie…oddly enough, it answers some brewing questions that have been boiling inside him since puberty… NOTE: I'm using my favorite classic style of Ed/Double D pairing. That means there is Yaoi involved! Don't like it? Kindly X-out. Thanks :] I wrote this along side to the screen play for Moulin Rouge, so it's pretty similar, with me taking out some small parts in my own tasteful artistic liscence that would otherwise be irrelevant to my story ENJOI XD**

**DISCLAIMER: Hi. I own nothing EE&E and/or Moulin Rouge. Though that would be a kick in the glass.**

**ONE MORE THING (I swear!!)**

**If you never saw the original Moulin Rouge, or are a bit rusty with the characters, I'm going to give you the cast list transitioned to fit the awesome kids of Peach Creek. If you want the what I have planned out to be a surprise, or, you don't really give a hoot, you can skip this part. **

**Christian (the protagonist, sensitive writer)- Double D**

**Satine (Christians love interest & star of Moulin rouge)- Ed**

**The Duke (Big mean jerk that tried to ruin everything)- Rolf XD**

**Narcoleptic Argentinan (falls through Christians roof)- Jimmy**

**Toulouse (Befriends Christian his first day)-Jonny**

**Harold (the owner of Moulin Rouge)-Eddy**

**Satie (the song-writer for performances)-Sarah**

**Audrey (the lyricist for perfomances)-Kevin**

**The Green Fairy (hallucination after they drink absynthe)-Nazz**

**Diamond Dogs (courtesans in the show other than Satine)- Kanker sisters**

**Chapter 1- prologue**

He had arrived in Peach Creek. It had been over a year, since he had been there, where in just a few short months his life took form and shaped into several dimensions, from being muck and boneless sludge he sworn it was for twenty years of his life. It sparked and seared, and had wound so tightly, like a web of silver string, intricately holding tumultuous emotions of confusion, desperation, passion, jealousy, anger, grief. Passion.

His were the only shoes that walked down the cracked sidewalk downtown. As he stopped in front of a boarded up, broken down building, the flash backs that electrified his mind were anything but the lifeless display that loomed over him now. The Moulin Peache Cabaret. Sighing heavily, he blocked the images that were causing turbulence in his mind. He strode across the street, hardly conscious of his location, but at the same time, completely aware of where he was. Only, he was in another time, one that took place more than a year ago, where at the same time the streets of downtown would be bustling with action. Laughter with friends. Fingers interlaced and aura's mingling among lovers. Yes, how ironic that that feeling had deserted downtown, long gone with the Moulin Peache.

He stepped into a nearly empty café, and pulled out his slim white laptop, opening it his fingers fluttered to the keyboard. He was at a table facing away from the run down building, but, his eyes were tired as it was late in the evening, and his focus shifted to gaze at the reflection on his screen. He saw behind him, the desserted Moulin Peache. And then he found himself staring at his own exhausted face, his eyes solemn, distant. He wrote:

'_The greatest thing you'll ever learn…is just to love, and be loved in return_.'

His fingers were flying across the keys now, though he wasn't paying attention to what he was typing. He gazed only at the reflection, though this time the abandoned building was as he remembered it the day he left so many months ago. His memory faded in rewind…

The Moulin Peache. Can-can dancers, clowns music swirling through the smoky air, they looked beautiful and ghoulish. A short, stocky man with a thinning head of hair pokes his head through the red velvet curtains, of the theatre of the Moulin Peache. The legendary grounds of performance, a kingdom of night-time pleasures. Where the wealthy and greedy lurk through the monstrous oak doors to linger in the filling presence of the cabaret's lovely pets. Long-legged, siren-esque pets with come-hither lips and dark-rimmed liquidy eyes.

All dictated by the owner, Eddy Zidler, who used these magnificent pets to lure those who were powerful…and willing to thumb over valuable silver.

'_The one I loved is dead now. And though I did grow up in Peach Creek, I left it early on to pursue my own dreams. I was granted admission to Berkeley School of Medicine, and it was my entire family's intention for me to go. I had denied it, wanting to tread after my own aspirations. I wanted to write. I could have easily studied medicine, this I know. Saved a couple lives, watch countless more die on my surgery table as I'd hold their lifeless, bloody lump heart in my hands. Make hundreds and thousands of dollars a year, drive an expensive vehical, every day to my priceless villa, filled with materialistic riches and a large-breasted wife who only adored me for what I possessions I could provide her. I had wanted something else. Besides, I have always had a weak stomach, and blood had always made me queezy. Despite what my controlling parents say, I don't believe it could have ever worked. I planned on never coming back._

_But I did. The Moulin Peache had just been built, I had never seen anything like it. This village of sin, as my father had told me, lay on the outskirts of Peach Creek. Life was quick here. It had musicians, painters, writers._

_I rented a small, but well lit apartment, right across the street overlooking the Moulin Peache._

_I had come from a family of wealth, only to desert it to live my own penniless existence. I had come back to my roots, to write about truth, beauty, freedom, and that which I believed in above all things…love. _

_There was just one problem. I had never been in love._

_Luckily, right at that moment an unconscious fair-haired young man fell through my roof. And he was quickly joined by a small bald man holding a chunk of wood dressed as a nun._

"Uhm Hi there?" he said, looking exasperated and wide eyed at the boy on the floor. "Er…my name is Jonny Maury Raymond Lautrec-Belafonte."

I blinked at him "What?"

Hardly missing a beat, he went on.

"I'm terribly sorry about all this! Plank and myself…and this young fella' Jimmy…we were just upstairs rehearsing for a show."

I stared at the chunk of wood in his arms, and noticed that it had a painted face. I looked from it, to the unconscious boy on the floor, to the hole in the ceiling, and back to the one who had just spoken. I blinked again.

"What??"

_The Show they had been rehearsing for…It was very modern for its time, called "Awesome Awesomeness" but unfortunately, the fair-haired boy suffered severe social anxiety, which would trigger his asthma, and would succumb to blackouts._

"He's be just peachy one second, and then, BAM! Hyperventilating and an overload of oxygen to his brain, and randomly passes out," he explained.

Then, from the hole in the ceiling, a girl with fiery red curls and a wide mouth appeared, along with a rather lanky looking boy wearing a baseball hat. I found out later their names were Sarah and Kevin.

"Ohmigosh…JIMMY!! How is he?!" Squealed the girl

"Great. Just great. Now the malnourished asthmatic kid is now unconscious, and our stupid scenario will not be finished in time to present to the stupid financial dude tomorrow. Awesome!" The lanky boy scoffed.

"No, no, it's alright, we'll just have to find someone to read the part. No big deal," Jonny reasoned peaceably.

The girl rolled her eyes.

"Oh, really? Well where the crap are we going to find someone to read the role of the young and sensitive poet slash goat tomato farmer??"

Jonny held up Plank and grinned.

"No. Plank already has two parts. As great of an actor he is, theres no way he can memorize all those lines on top of his own. Forget it-" the girl's eyes wandered over to me, and icy chills ricocheted down my spine as she looked me up and down, her lips curling to form a terrifying grin. "The poet…he's young..sensitive…very…_handsome…_"

_Everyone turned to look at me, and before I knew it, I was upstairs, standing in for the unconscious fair-haired boy. However, there seemed to be some artistic differences over Kevin's lyrics to Sarah's songs._

"It's fucking crap, Kevin. Just stop singing."

"Mental block, Sarah?! Can you come up with anything better!?"

"It's not my job, doofus, I just write the music!"

"And I write kickass lyrics, so let it go, okay?"

"Yeah, well. It stinks," she rolled her eyes, and the banter continued. Suddenly, the unconscious Jimmy sits up.

"The hills are rolling like tires on pavement!" Kevin burst into song. Everyone looks at Jimmy with their eyes wide, and he falls back on the bed, unconscious again.

"Good Job, Kevin. You may have just killed poor Jimmy this time," Sarah shrieked and ran to his bedside, checking his pulse just in case.

"No. no, no, no," Kevin said, ingoring Sarah in his own inner conflict with his music lyrics. "The hills…the hills…no…the hills…"

"The hills are puffy and sweet as ice-cream?" Sarah offered.

"The hills…" Kevin continued, struggling in deep though.

Casually, words popped along in my mind. I tried to voice it to them, but their incessant arguing made me almost inaudible. In sudden impulse of desperation, I throw back my head and sing

"**The hills are alive with the sound of music!"**

Kevin and Sarah stop their arguing, and stare at him in silence. Then as if right on que, Jimmy leaps up from into consciousness

"The hills are alive with the sound of music?! What an absolutely charming sonnet! I love it!"

Everyone in the room goes silent.

"It's good…it fits in perfectly with my music…keep going!"

I struggled to scan my mind for some more impromptu lyrics.

"…With songs they have sung for a thousand…years?" I uttered.

Everyone gasps.

"How decadent! It's sublime! Kevin, you and…you and…er, whats your name again, writer?" Jonny said, his eyes glancing at me.

"Double D."

"Yes! You and Double D should write the entire show together, it will be spectacular!"

Kevin's feelings did not come close to matching Jonny's, or anyone's in the room for that matter. I saw his jaw clench and his eyes narrow.

"I don't work with dorks. I'd tell you that I work alone, but I can see who's the favorite already. I'll be across town. Don't write to me. See ya," he called, and left the room, slamming the door behind him. The room was silent, and then Sarah looked at me, and tackled me in a bone-crushing hug.

"Here's to your first job in Peach Creek!"

Everyone cheered, and I tried to peel the tiny girl off me, but her latch was as good as steel. I looked around me painfully, but smiled. My first real job as a writer.

**A/N-Reviews are nice. Dare ya.**


	2. The Sparkling Ed

Moulin Peache

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**A/N The Good stuff comes in the next Chapter after this one. Muhaha. Don't forget to review and tell me what you think!**

**Also, it varies slightly from the movie in the sense that it is written in Christian's (Double D's) P.O.V.**

**First person isn't usually my style, but why not give it a go. For those of you who have seen the movie, it's an entirely new experience from the same, familiar motion picture. Woot!**

**Disclaimer: Though I have taken several lines form the original motion picture, I have twisted the majority of them to fit the killer guys and girls of the cul-de-sac. I own NOTHING EE&E, or Moulin Rouge. **

Double D's attention snapped up from his laptop, brought back to reality as a long-legged waitress stepped into his peripherals. She laughed.

"You look like you've just about seen a ghost, sir," She smiled. She was very attractive, her natural beauty was evident even under her stained collared shirt and tightly pulled back hair. Some loose strands hung around her face in a halo-like frizz. The deep auburn color of her hair looked all too familiar. He gulped, but smiled apologetically.

"Just startled, I suppose," he said softly. Her lips turned up warmly, causing dimples on either sides of her cheeks to form. Far too familiar.

"Can I get you anything?" She asked and reddened a little bit. Oh dear. It must have been the way he was staring at her, but little did she know he saw right through her, and had no interest for her whatsoever. He didn't mean to give her the wrong impression.

"Oh, yes…" he glanced at her engraved name tag "…Julia. Uhm, just a coffee, please."

She tilted her head slightly and shifted her body language to face him entirely.

"That all?"

He looked down, humbled by her subtle advances.

"Yes. Thank you."

He could feel her dissapointment as soon as she walked away, probably about to gush to her fellow co-workers about the mixed signals this scruffy looking gentleman in a black beanie was giving her. He didn't understand what about him was so appealing to females. He thought of himself as rather awkward, really. He thought of her attention to him to be flattering, but he wasn't interested. He wasn't interested in any of them. He gazed back down at the crystal screen, and felt his fingers twitching to continue typing. And he did just that.

"Jonny… Eddy will never agree!" Sarah insisted after a while of thinking on it. Jonny had seen right into Double D's raw talent, and kept pushing the idea of him onto Sarah, even as he noticed her wavering. "No offence, Double D. I don't doubt your under qualified and all…but have you ever written anything like this before?"

I shrugged.

"No," was all I could say. It was the truth…

"He has talent. Raw, untainted talent!" Jimmy piped up, playfully slapping my rear end, his hand lingering on the backside of my pants. "I like him!"

I gingerly peeled his hand off my trousers, smiling uncomfortably. Jimmy just shrugged.

"I just adore talent!"

"Yes, but, HOW will we convince Eddy? He can be such a prick…" Sarah interrupted, her lips pursing. Her eyes suddenly widened after a moment, looking in Jonny's general direction, but not seeming to look at him.

"Perhaps I missed something?" I said, confused.

"He's got a point, Jonny…" Sarah said, her eyes squinting, deep in thought.

"Pardon? Who has a point??" I was entirely confused. I looked around Jonny to see if there was someone standing that I had missed. But there was no one.

"Plank," Jonny said simply. It took me several moments to realize what he was talking about. He was referring to the chunk of wood with a face on it, the one he never seemed to put down. Not wanting to offend him, I nodded slightly.

"Say again, I believe I missed it?"

Jonny laughed, "He does mumble a lot. But he suggested…Edward"

"Edward?"

Jonny turned to Sarah and Plank, and whispered the plan. It was a short while later that I was dressed in Jimmy's best crisp suit, and they would pass me off as a famous writer from the West Coast. They assured me that once Edward, the star of nearly all of the shows at the Moulin Peache, heard my modernesque poetry, he would be astounded, and would insist to Eddy that I write "Awesome Awesomeness". The plan was incredibly clever. The only problem was, I kept hearing father's voice in my head; the last I had heard of him as I stepped out my front door with a duffel bag of my belongings.

A writer! A WRITER! How Romantic of you. Your mother and I put you through Space Camp, the Science Fairs, prestigious medical beneficiary workshops. I've written dozens of medical journals, and you, our only son, decides he is going to throw his future into oblivion and become a writer. Pathetic.

I shuddered, and shook my head vigorously.

"Absolutely not. I cannot write the show for 'Awesome Awesomeness' " I muttered, and began to climb down the hole in the floor where Jimmy had fallen into my room earlier. Never being graceful, my hands slipped off the edge, and I crumpled in a heap to the floor.

The others crowded around the hole

"Why not?!" The said in unison.

I gritted my teeth from the pulsing pain, and noticed a thin cut along my forearm. Lovely.

"I am under qualified. There is no way I could possibly do it," I said, trying to ignore the spreading pain.

"Do you believe in Beauty?" Jonny called down to me, and hopped down in a far swifter manner than my clumsy fall. He offered a hand.

"Yes," I replied, taking it and staggering to my feet.

"How about Freedom?"

"That…that too."

"Truth?"

"Of course"

"Love?"

My eyes lit up immediately. The soul and spirit of all writers, the core or passion…was love.

"Love? Love! Above all things I believe in love! Love is a many splendored thing, love lifts us up where we belong, all you need is love!" I said a little louder than I intended to.

Jonny smiled, and Sarah grinned and nodded from above. Jimmy glided down onto the floor next to me. What was it with these theatre people?

"See, there is no fooling us. You are the voice of the children of the revolution. Let's get crunk in honor of the world's most metaphorically intoxicating revolutionary show!"

I had never felt more out of place.

To them, however, it was an ideal plan. I was to audition for Edward, and dazzle him with my artistic words. And I was to taste my first glass of absinthe.

I wasn't sure what it was, as a drop of alcohal had never touched my lips. The events that followed, however, were even stranger than I could ever imagine.

From the label of the green absinthe bottle, the illustrated green fairy popped off and became real. Flying…all sorts of wizardry…

"Are…are w-we in Harry Potter? Is this suppppposed to happennn?" I stuttered, not taking my eyes off of the blonde little fairy. Sarah, Jonny, Jimmy and Plank turned to each other and burst into laughter.

"Hi, there!" The fairy spoke. It spoke to me.

"Erm…hello, uhh.."

"Nazz. I'm the green fairy. Cool, huh?"

I open and shut my eyes, and squinted at her tiny features as she danced on my arm. I giggled.

"Indeed!"

She scaled my shoulder, and tugged on my ruffled beanie.

"What secrets do you keep under here, dude?"

I shrugged her off and put my arms over my head defensively, toppling off the stool I was sitting on. Jonny, Sarah, and Jimmy laughed even harder.

"It's…very private!!" I swatted her away.

"Okay, look," she said, disconcerted, blowing little blonde strands out of her face. "I'm like, the hot fairy of everyone's fantasies. And stuff. And now this place actually gets cute one, and you totally blow me off! What gives dude?!" She flitted to my nose and raised an eyebrow. She was very lovely, no doubt. But…

As if struck by a bolt of enlightenment, her eyes widened.

"Ooooh, I get it. Darn. Every single time," she sighed. "I don't get it. But then again, I don't judge. I'm a mystical green fairy hallucination," she gasped and patted the front of her pants frantically. "Oh my God. Jeez. At least you didn't imagine me with a…okay, whatever. Good luck with all that dude!" she giggled, and popped into little lime green soap bubbles.

I was never drinking again. That was for sure.

The next evening, however, I was preparing to audition my poetry for Edward.

I took a seat in the velvet front row, trying my best to appear professional as more spectators filed in. The theatre was, modestly put, lavish and spectacular to the very last detail. This was obviously a place for the wealthy and powerful to watch their fantasies come alive before their eyes, and no doubt paid a wholly amount.

Before I knew it, the entire theatre was packed with important, expensive looking people, and a lull of conversation hung in the air.

Then the lights dimmed, and a man with a plush tophat poked out from the curtain. That must have been their ring leader, Eddy. The owner of the Moulin Peache. He looked about my age, and began dancing around along with the can-can dancers and clowns that fluttered on stage, singing along with them. I had to admit, he had quite a stage presence.

But I was anxious to see this Edward.

Jimmy, Jonny, Plank, and Sarah took seat next to me, explaining the themes and motifs of the show. I nodded politely, but scanned for the elusive, sparkling Diamond named Edward. As if sensing my rapidfire feelings, Jonny pointed to the ceiling.

Strangely, my entire body felt as if every nerve inside it became a live wire. Silver confetti glimmered as it fell from the air, celebrating the presence of the show's star as he descended from the ceiling on a silver trapeze, disguised as a swing.

It was as if the wind was blowing in my face from every direction, though the air in the room was very still. It paralleled the audience, who gaped up in awe at this celestial being that descended from the ceiling. However, to me it seemed the room was empty. It was just him and I.

My eyes could not take it, I had to avert them. It could have been the lighting, it could have been anything. But it felt more so that the idea of my eyes on him was offensive. I felt my soul glow from inside me, and began to climb from my fleshy body, it wanted to join him on the trapeze, despite my terrifying phobia of heights. I craved to run the pads of my fingers along his jaw line, to touch his mouth that, even though he was high up, I could tell was the color of the inside of rose petals. I had never felt such a need to touch another human being. It was like a composition, a symphony of feelings. If I did not touch him, I would surely die at any moment.

Suddenly, petrified he would disappear, I fixed my gaze to him, drinking in his lines, his lean, muscular body modestly hidden beneath black tights.

I had never felt like this before.

Little did I know, someone else had planned to meet Edward that night. If I had known then what I knew now, I would have climbed to the row behind me, and clawed his eyes out with my fingers before he could have a chance to look at Edward. I was strongly opposed to violence, I even resisted crushing bugs that wandered into my flat. But I had studied medical journals. I knew the blueprints where every major vein and artery lay. My hands would have been drenched in cold, malicious blood.

I would have.

To this day, I would.

He was the Duke. He had come from some very far away, mysterious land that no one had ever heard of. He was tall, very tall, and extremely lean with well slicked blue hair and a youthful face. His eyes, however, were aged by hardwork and all kinds of mysteries he had seen from his homeland.

Eddy disappeared from the stage a long time ago, but I did not notice. My eyes were focused solely only on Edward, gliding from one swinging trapeze to another, and singing in addition to his number. Every movement, he was poised and moved like liquid.

"After his number," Jonny whispered to me "I've arranged a private meeting. Just you and Edward. Totally alone."

I nodded, refusing to take my eyes off of Edward.

Meanwhile, Eddy had taken a seat next to the Duke, heaving and wiping the sweat off his brow with a silk cloth.

"When does the Duke encounter a meeting with the punkish-ballerina Ed-boy?" The Duke purred, his gaze also fixated on Edward.

"After the show, I set up a special meeting--you and the graceful oaf. Totally alone. Keep it in your pants till then, will ya?"

The Duke nodded, his greedy eyes beading onto Edward.

"It will cost ya though…" Eddy trailed off.

Without looking at Eddy, the Duke removed a small sack containing several quarters, and deposited it in Eddy's clamoring fingers. Eddy blinked back dollar signs, and skipped off.

**Stay Tuned, lovelies ;]**


	3. Nerves

Moulin Peache

Chapter 3

**A/N- Bear with me with an open mind, I'm trying to fit Satine's character into Ed, and it may be a bit strange at first, since Ed is hardly considered multi-fasceted. This Ed has layers. He can be a proffessional performer, and a smoldering temptress. I do not own Moulin Rouge or EE&E, just borrowed some ideas ;)**

**Tell me your thoughts! And yaoi is next chapter, which I am almost done with, you won't have to wait long!**

**oh, and the //name here// are the different POV's. You'll see.**

Though Ed stood a very towering 6"4, he was poised and graceful like a butterfly, his glimmering tights appeared almost as a second skin as he danced across stage with the other can-can dancers. It was almost difficult to tell he wasn't a female, he had nicer legs than four-fifths of the women in Peach Creek.

"Come and get me boys," he sang in a breathy voice, and the males in audience went bezerk, howling and shrieking for Ed's attention. A crowd of can-can dancers were gathering to form a tight circle around Ed as he was singing.

" 'Cause we are living in a material world, and I am a material girl," he blew a flirty kiss to the audience. Eddy appeared upstage opposite of him, and the two flitted towards each other.

"MMm, talk to me Eddy Ziddler, tell me all about it!" Ed crooned.

"There may come a time when a, lass needs a lawyer!" Eddy belted. He actually wasn't half bad. "But diamonds are a girls best friend," and the two suggestively disappeared into the center of the mass of dancers, which was actually and onstage make-shift dressing room, the walls being the shielding bodies of the performers.

"Eddy, is the Duke here?" Ed mumbled as he struggled to change into his next ensemble. Eddy was thumbing his thick stack of dollar bills.

"Would I ever let ya down, cupcake?" He said without looking up.

//Double D//

I clutched the arms of the chair, bracing myself. I was sure I would spring up at any moment, and dart out of the cabaret. This was too much. His skin was like milk. Smooth and radient, silky. I could not handle this. Jonny must have sensed my disoncertment, and he quickly rose.

"I'll see to it that everything goes forth as planned," he said. But as he stood up, his sudden movement startled a scantily clad drink server. She wavered, and managed to catch herself, but one green glowy drink toppled over, and splashed generously on someone next to their row in a private viewing table.

"Oh! I'm terribly sorry!" Jonny exclaimed as he pulled out his hankercheif and began dabbing at the man's suit, who, invariably, was the Duke. Soon, his hanky was drenched, and he realized he would need another one.

//Ed//

Eddy and Ed emerge, with Ed now dressed in his new, frilly and sparkling outfit.

"He's here, Eddy? Where!"

"He's the one that Jonny is shaking a hanky at…"

//Double D//

Jonny looked over at me worriedly, and leaned down so we were at eye-level.

"Sorry, Double D, can I borrow a handkerchief?"

I looked down at my shirt pocket, and saw the corner of a blue handkerchief, Jonny saw it first, and reached down to pull it out, shaking it loose from my pocket

//Ed//

"Are you sure…?" Ed said, squinting at the slim-frame that was assisting Jonny in pulling out the hankercheif. Eddy sighed and began to maneuver around Ed.

"I'll look again," He said

//Double D//

I thought it to be quite humorous of Jonny, who spun away from me to try to soak up the mess he spilled on the important-looking man with cobalt blue hair.

"Let me finish, I apologise!" Jonny said frantically.

//Ed//

"Yes, princess, that's the one. God, I hope that annoying Jonny doesn't scare away his money-er, I mean, good humor.

"You think he will invest?" Ed said longingly. Eddy rolled his eyes

"After spending a night with you?! How could he possibly refuse?" Eddy smirked, but his voice was sweet with charm. Ed thought a moment.

"What's his type? Pretty little flower? Orr how 'bout bubbly an outrageous… I so love bubbles…or, maybe, smoldering temptress?" Ed batted his eyes. Eddy raised an eyebrow.

"I'd say your best bet is smoldering temptress. Don't screw this up, Ed. Remember, if you capture the Duke's affection…that means a real show, a real theatre, with a real audience…and you'll be…"

"…A real actress," Ed cooed, his eyes glazing over a bit

"Yeaaa. Actress. My first choice was moneymaker, but, one step at a time Lumpy,"

Ed snaps out of his daydream and leaps back into his number to finish the song to the audience. Meanwhile, Jonny has finished mopping up the Duke and makes his way up to the stage, scrambling to try and get Ed's attention.

"Cause that's when those louses…"

"Great oaf of grace!" Jonny called, but Ed didn't notice

"…Go back to their spouses…"

"Goddess of the dance!" Jonny tried again. But two can-can dancers dressed as clowns were carrying Ed towards the seat where Double D was sitting.

"…Diamonds are a…"

"I've got fantastic news!" Jonny scrambled after Ed and his carriers, trying to get his attention.

"…Girl's best friend."

//Double D//

I looked up at him, dumbstruck, as the two can-can dancers set him down in front of me as the last notes of his song poured from his mouth. An angel of perfection. For him to be up so close to me, him looking through my eyes down into my misunderstood soul, I stared, and knew my mouth was hanging slightly open. I could not bear to look away, and yet even my peripherals took note of every inch of his satin skin. His long tapered fingers, his statuesque poise.

"I believe you were expecting me," he said softly, but his eyes did not match his lips. His words were feathery and light, while his eyes commanded every wick of attention. Of course, this was part of his act…how silly of me.

"Yes," I managed to choke out. _Really? Yes? How original of me. Excellent_, I thought.

Before I could take another longing breath, he pulled me onstage to dance with him and the others. Audience participation, or had Jonny gotten to Edward?

"That went well," Sarah said, the group of them startled at their luck.

"He has such a poetic gift…" Jimmy swooned.

"Told ya!!! He's a genius!" Jonny proclaimed.

As Edward lead our dance, I was hesitant and a great deal awkward with my steps. Perhaps I should have prepared more for this?! I looked like a monkey next to him, as he cooly danced along side and around me. His eyes did not move from my face, and that's what may have saved me from toppling over my two left feet.

"It is so nice of you to take interest in our show," he whispered. I struggled to collect my words.

"It sounds…very exciting. I would be delighted to be involved."

He looked at me with wide eyes.

"Really?"

His childlike wonderment threw me off once again.

"A-Assuming…you like w-what I do, of course."

His eyes began to smolder once again.

"I am sure I will."

"Jonny thought we might be able to, uhm, do it in private."

His eyebrows knitted together.

"He did?"

"Yes…you know, uhm, a private poetry reading…?"

He suddenly looked at me as if he grasped some complicated idea.

"Ooh, _poetry! _I so very much like a litte _poetry_ after supper…"

I wondered why he had put so much emphasis on poetry, as if it was just a code word for something else. But I didn't dwell on the thought, I didn't want anything distracting me from his grace and attention.

However, as quickly as he had pulled me into his trance-like dance with him, he plunged into the crowd of dancers, disappeared for a moment, and then reappeared once more as he rose up into the air on the swing where I had first spotted him.

"Diamonds…." he began to sing once more.

"Diamonds, are a, girls best…" He paused before he said the last word, ending his number for the night.

The pause elongated.

It elongated a little too long, too long so that everyone in the audience around me looked to each other as if waiting for some kind of answer. My eyes never left his frame, as I strained to see him clearly in the smoky air. I wasn't sure if it was an illusion, but I thought I saw him waiver, which was not a part of his routine, I was certain.

Only moments later, I saw him slide off the swing backwards, falling. A loud gasp swept over the crowd as his limp body fell downwards. It happened so fast, I wish Icould have at least had the reaction to jump in and try to catch him. I felt my throat closing up, though I wanted to scream. At least do _something_.

I didn't hear the loud _thump _of his body slam against the wooden floorboards. I struggled to push the gentlemen in their expensive coats out of my way, and strained my neck to try to see where he had landed.

A single spotlight shone down on a dark-skinned man. And in his arms was Edward, limp and unconscious, but otherwise unharmed. Relief washed over me like a cool mist. Perhaps his fall was a part of his act. But my instincts told me otherwise. The dark-skinned man shuffled away behind the curtain, and everyone including myself was left scratching out heads.

Moments later, Eddy's voice resonated from the stage. The stocky ring leader was saying something that sounded a little too improvised about Edward's fall, but my ears were ringing still from the shock.

//Eddy//

_Shit shit shit shit shit shit, fucking shit! _Eddy thought.

He was half concerned about Ed's safety, and half concerned if he was going to be able to sleep with the Duke later that eveing.

"Ed!" He burst into the dressing room, where Marie was dabbing his forehead with a moist cloth. Hed's face lit up when he appeared, and jumped up, knocking Marie backwards.

"Everything okay with you, Lumpy? You looked a little pale out there," Ed still looked a little pasty, and Eddy couldn't help but be concerned for him. If the bouncer had not been there, Ed would have broken every bone in his body. The thought struck him, and he shuddered. All Ed had ever wanted was to be a performer. Eddy wouldn't voice it, but he was ultimately glad Ed was okay.

"Fine and dandy, Eddy," Ed chirped, and jumped up to twirl around, showing off his outfit. Eddy shot a look of concern at Marie, who nodded, confirming Ed's healthy state. He relaxed a little.

"Good, good. You sure showed the Duke a good time out there," Eddy grumbled, settling back into his sarcastic, masochistic entity.

"Oh but the show is not over yet. Smoldering Temptress, right Eddy?" Ed grinned widely.

"Yea, he can't possibly resist you," Eddy rolled his eyes. "Do whatever you need to do, princess, to lure that Duke so he can't say no to the Moulin Peache."

//Double D//

I was a nervous wreck. My hands were drenched in sweat, and my entire body was shaking repulsively as I clamored up the steps to Edwards resident apartment; which was inside a gigantic cement elephant-shaped building. The circumstances couldn't have been more dramatic, and I, attracting more attention than I could ever imagine, was making my way up the stairs of an _elephant, _pretending to be some famous English writer. I knew that if I looked directly into his eyes, my lies would unravel around my tongue and I would give away my title, and everything Jonny, Sarah, and the children of the revolution had worked for.

It was a tough break, and my anxiety was starting to kick in. Excellent.


	4. Needs

Moulin Peache

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**A/N As promised, this chapter has been delivered as quickly as one could manage.**

**Thank you for the encouragement. This is where it get's exciting; and Rolf makes his official entrance!**

**Woot! Feedback, yes?**

I stepped up to the door. Surely, my heart would explode out of my rib cage any moment. I gazed up at the elephant, sighed, and gently knocked on the door. After a few seconds of no response, I lightly pressed against the door; it opened with ease.

The insides of the room were just as outrageous as the concept of being inside an elephant…bright, effervescent color draped the various plush cushions and armoirs. Satin, silk, and exotic cottons dressed every corner, every wall. A lavish four-poster bed stood dripping with color. Posted on nearly all the walls were playbills of performances in the Moulin Peache, most of them starring Edward.

"This is a super place for a poetry reading, don't you think?" I soft voice said. My eyes landed on him, still in his costume from the performance. Breathtaking and serene as ever.

"E-Edward…"

"You can call me Ed," he practically whispered. It was over for me, my mind had drawn up a blank. I wanted to collapse on the floor and tell him over and over how lean he looked in those tights, and how his performance was sublime and that if I was to never look at anyone ever again, I would not be phased.

I had never felt like this.

Was I in love?

It certainly felt like it.

How could I ever present my poetry, to try and convince him that I should be the writer for _Awesome Awesomeness_?

When he, without hardly uttering a sentence, captivated my full attention. If he asked me to do anything, anything that all, I would not need any convincing. Without question, I would say yes before the words left his lips.

"Yes," I lulled. It was all I could say. He rose, and sauntered to a trolley decorated with fruit and roasts. He removed a bottle of fine champagne from the glistening ice.

"Would you like some bubbly?" his smile poked upwards.

I searched quickly to find my words.

"I'd rather just, uhm, get it over and done with," I said. Could he detect the nervousness in my voice? He looked taken aback, as if that wasn't what he expected me to say. Had I said something wrong? I really had to stop overanalyzing myself.

"Oh…okay then. Why don't you come down here…and let's _get it over and done with_," He walked back to the bed, laying down on it seductively. How could I possibly concentrate reading poetry to him, while laying on the bed!

"If you don't mind, I-I'd prefer to do it standing?" I stammered. His smooth face rippled with undisguised surprise. Did all of his guests conduct business on his bed?

"Y-you, don't have to stand, I mean, It's quite long. And I'd like you to be comfortable. What I do is extremely modern, I must warn you, and it may feel a bit strange at first…but, I think if you're open, then I believe you might enjoy it"

"I'm…sure I will," he replied, awestruck. He looked so captivated by the idea of my poetry. This was a good sign.

Did I have that affect on him?

"Excuse me a moment," I turned away from him, to compose myself. I loosened my jaw, let air audibly escape my lips as I stretched my vocal chords. I was aweful at presentation, most likely socially inept. I turned to face him

"Lovely is the…is-is the moon with, ah,…" I babbled on mindlessly with my poetry. He sighed errotically in response. My nerves were live wires, and I turned away from him and began rambling my poetry, in the meantime, he flew back on the bed, moaning loudly

"Oh, goodness," I said to myself, trying to concentrate on reading aloud

"Is everything okay?" He asked when I began to do hum my lips, doing various voice exercises, moronically, of course.

"I, er, I'm a little nervous…It, takes a little while for me to…"

His face lit up, and I saw him redden a bit. "For…you know, inspiration to come," I turned away from him once more.

In my peripherals, I observed his angelic face grow seductive. My speech froze in its tracks. He rose, and glided towards me, facing me so that our noses were centimeters from touching. His grin stretched across his face

"Inspiration! Yes, let me help you with that," he said, and gently, but firmly, took hold of my lower regions through the cloth of my slacks. I gasped unexpectedly, mostly in shock. Had I given the wrong impression?

Suddenly, he pushed me backwards so I landed in the cloud of frills and pillows on the bed. A small growl escaped his throat as he leapt on top of me.

"Let's do it," he said simply.

"Do it?!?!?!" Certainly, my words had been misconstrued. But logic at this point was out of the question.

"You want to, don't you?"

"Well, I-I, I came to read my-"

"No! Tell the truth!" He peeled away my tie, and I began to clamor desperately. I would go into cardiac arrest at any moment! What could possibly have driven this beautiful, sculpture of a human being to attack me, and attempt to smash me with their passion. I wanted to give in. Badly, although I was unsure of myself.

However, my objective kept resurfacing. Jonny and the others needed me to convince Ed that I should write for the show…damn damn damn my relentless conscience.

"Can't you feel the poetry!" He cried in ecstasy

"W-what!?"

"Feel it! Feel the tiger inside you!"

I couldn't help but think of other things…But I…HAD…to focus…

"The…tiger?"

"Yes! YES!!" He threw his head back "I need your poetry NOW!" He placed his hands at the waist of my slacks, preparing to tear them off. I was severely confused.

With a swift escape, I rolled out from under him, landing swiftly on my feet--the first pseudo-graceful move I had emitted in years. I readjusted my suit, composing myself. I gathered my confidence, every last drop, and decided to give it all I had.

"It's a little bit funny," I said softly. The words bubbled out of me gently, feather light. He looked confused, distraught.

"Wha?"

"…This f-feeling inside. I'm not one of those who can--who can easily hide. Is this…okay? Is this what you want?"

He tilted his head at me, and then grinned again.

"Oh, _poetry_! Yes! Of course it's what I want! Dirty words! Oh!!" Flippantly, he began to toss around on the bed, moaning loudly. I could feel my face flushing, but I did my best to press on as he rolled about the bed, reacting to my words as if they were erotic touches.

"I-I don't have much money, but boy if I did-" I continued

"Dirty! Dirty Words! Yes!"

"I'd buy a big house where we both c-could live--"

"I love it! Ohh it's so _good_!"

"If I-I were a sculptor--"

"Wonderful!

"…But, then again, no-"

"Wonderful."

"Or a man who makes potions at a, tavelling show-"

At this point, he had flung himself off the bed and onto the floor, obscenely taking the satin covers tumbling down with him as he rolled around on the carpet, gasping and moaning.

"Oh, don't! Don't!" He cried out, and I paused. "No no! Don't stop!" He sighed dramatically.

"I know it's not much--"

"Give me more! Yes! Yes yes yes! Oh!"

"…But it's the best I can do…"

"Dirty, dirrrty! Yes!"

By now, I felt ridiculous, and my nerves had flattened out. With a solid stroke of passion, I looked out the window to the moon for my ultimate bout of encouragement, and I turned back to Ed. My mouth opened, and my words had suddenly transfixed into song.

"**My gift is my song…" **I belted. It echoed across city, and in a wave, lights flickered about the buildings, lighting up the entire town. It also caught Ed's attention; he stopped rolling around on the floor, and looked up at me in wonder.

"…**And this one's for you. And you can tell everybody that, this is your song. It may be quite simple but, now that it's done…I hope you don't mind…I hope you don't mind, that I put down in words; How wonderful life is, now your in the world," **The words spilled from my mouth like paint onto a canvas, and Ed, mesmerized, stood up to follow me, as I was consumed with so much intensity. I continued to sing for him…

"**Sat on the roof, and I kicked off the moss. Well some of these verses well they, they got me quite cross. But the sun's been kind, while I wrote this song…"**

He walked towards me, his skin looking like satin milk under the moonlight's cast. His lips were parted slightly, as he watched me. The confidence in me was almost unbearable…I wasn't sure where this self-empowerment had come from. He looked dazzling, and I didn't want to stop, in fear that I'd break the spell.

"**It's for people like you that…keep it turned on. So excuse me forgetting, but these things I do, you see I've forgotton if they're green or if they're blue,"**

I took his hands, my fingers brushing against his palms, and he smiled at me, though somewhat uncertainly.

"**Anyway, the thing is, what I really mean…Yours are the sweetest eyes I've ever seen."**

I stepped up close to him, and he tilted his head. His face crept close to mine, his eyes glazed over in admiration and flattery.

"I…can't believe it," he said in a voice barely above a whisper, "I…I'm in love with a young, handsome, talented duke.

My eyebrows knitted together.

"Duke?"

"Not that the title is a big deal, of course," he chuckled. I gave him a questioning look, confused.

"No, but. I'm not a duke," I tried to explain, as he leaned in to brush his lips against mine.

"I'm a writer," I whispered. Immediately, he pulled back, and paled.

" A writer?"

"Yes, a writer," I began to explain. I suddenly got the feeling that something was horribly misunderstood. My notion was confirmed as he took an unsteady step away from me.

"No…no, no."

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed movement, and turned to look, Jonny, Sarah, Jimmy and several others were climbing all over each other outside the window to get a peak. I quickly glanced at them, and they exchanged mortified glances, and scrambled to disapear from my sight. This attempt failed miserably, as their unorganized plot to spy on me caused them to fall in heap from the ledge. Ed, distracted by my averted attention, looked in my direction a quarter of a second after the group had fallen out of sight

"_Jonny," _He gasped. "Oh no. You're not another one of Jonny's ever-so-talented, elegantly disheveled, penniless proteges, are you?"

"I--well, you could say that, yes."

"No!"

"No?"

"NO! I'm gonna strangle him!"

I rewinded the days events, carefully going over what might have gone wrong. I drew nothing.

"What?" I was irrevocably confused. "Jonny told me that--he said--"

Ed's eyes widened as he turned to cross the room, heading towards the door.

"But the _duke._ What about the duke!?" He seemed to say to himself. I followed close behind.

Ed opened the door, and standing in the doorway with his back faced towards us was a tall individual with a dark expensive suit and blue hair poking out from beneath his hat. On the other side of him stood Eddy, who didn't seem to see Ed open the door, as he was in mid-conversation.

"…You're Dukeness, if I could direct you to--" Eddy spoke, and Ed slammed the door, and spun around to face me, paling.

"The Duke!" He cried.

"The Duke?"

"_HIDE_! Out the back! Do it!!!!" He nearly tackled me, but at the same moment, the door opened. His reflexes were a thousand times faster than mine, and he flipped around, standing upright so that I was hidden behind him.

"Hey, Princess. Are you presentable for the Duke?" Eddy sang in mock sweetness.

I, still confused, peered around Ed to see what was going on. He gently, but hastily bumped me with his thigh, motioning for me to hide behind him.

"What are you doing?" Eddy said skeptically. Without missing a beat, Ed nonchalantly put a hand on his hips, and leaned to one side. He was still in his ornate costume, and all the frills and pieces hanging off of it shifted to his side as he leaned against the food trolly, making an opaque wall shielding myself from the Duke and Eddy. I scooted behind the trolley and ducked.

"I--uhm. I was waiting," Ed replied. There was a pause. I imagined it was Ed and Eddy having a conversation with their eyes. I imagined not much got by Eddy. No doubt he sensed something odd.

"Duke, please allow me to introduce your tall rich self to…mademoiselle Ed," he said. Ed laughed softly, with nervous traces.

"Mister. How nice of you to take time away from your duke-like duities to come visit little old me," Ed said sweetly. I took this moment to peak over the trolley of food, between the roast and a lentil-bean salad, certain the grandeur delectables would shield me. Ed saw me out of his peripherals, and snapped his head towards me, giving me a put-your-head-behind-that-chicken-OR-ELSE look. Needless to say, I ducked back behind the roast.

"Great beets of my homeland," the duke gasped, most likely at the grand spectacle of Ed standing there. "Rolf is blinded by the fierce intensity smoldering from ballerina-actress-Ed-Boy. Impressive," he nodded.

"Well!" Eddy piped up "I'll leave you lovely ladies to get…better aquainted. SEE YA."

With that, Eddy quickly exited the room, leaving the three of us to be alone. The Duke, Rolf, as it appeared to be, hadn't the vaguest idea of the third party in the room, hiding behind the roasted chicken and lentil salad.


End file.
